Fencing Shoes or Shoes for Fencing?

Shoes for Fencing or Fencing Shoes?

This very much comes down to personal preference, and can be extremely subjective. Some people prefer the feel of a certain shoe over another, but there are definitely practical, objective things to be considered when looking for fencing shoes. Here are a few thoughts and suggestions if you're considering some specific shoes to fence in....

Specialist fencing shoes are great, Adidas, Nike, Hi-Tec, Leon Paul, Excalibur Sports, PBT and others. All make dedicated "Fencing Shoes". There are now a variety of brands styles and price points so it's not out of the question to buy a dedicated pair without needing to take out a loan or sell off a body part to raise the cash.

However, you are still limited to purchasing through a fencing suppliers website, or from a trade stand at a competition (if they have your size with them). You'll also find that the choice of brand can influence the fit (Adidas tend to be very narrow while Hi Tec and Nike much roomier etc.) so if you have to buy before you can try it adds another level of faffing about returning shoes that don't quite fit.

It can therefore be worth looking around at shoes targeted at other sports with similar needs to fencing shoes that are more likely to be available to try on in a shop!

These factors of cost, personal preference, lack of variety and availability means that it's not unusual to see even the highest level fencers wearing 'Non-Fencing' shoes at elite level competitions.

The non-fencing, fencing shoe is going to be chosen from shoes designed for indoor court sports; like Badminton, Squash, Volleyball, Handball and Tennis etc., as they all have designs that could make good fencing shoes. Some low-top basketball shoes may do the job too, but tend to have thicker soles than shoes for the other sports mentioned which may not be ideal for fencing. In general fencing shoes have a flat non-marking sole with good heel cushioning. Away from the heel area, the sole is traditionally relatively thin and light, giving a low profile to the shoes and allowing a good 'feel' of the piste and helping with foot stability to support fast changes in direction. The sole will have a rounded heel and molded/rounded edges. The rounded heel allows for a fast kickout and good heel strike protection in the lunge and makes fast low foot movements when stepping much easier. The molded/rounded edges to the sole allow for easy and safe back foot roll and recovery when lunging.

Here are some examples of non-fencing specific shoes that are close enough in design to make good fencing shoes.... This is not an exhaustive list, but if you google some of them, the images should give you some ideas and inspiration about what to look for when selecting a good training shoe for fencing.

Allsix V500 Volleyball Shoes

Adidas Stabil Indoor Junior

Ashaway Neo X-Glide Indoor Court Shoes

Asics Gel Blade (5,6,7,8....etc)

Asics Gel Spike Volleyball Shoes

Asics Gel Task 3 Court Shoes

Asics Gel Rocket 11

Carlton Airblade Badminton Shoes

Decathlon KIPSTA Volleyball Shoes

Hi-Tec Squash (an 80's classic!)

Salming Rival 2 Court Shoes

Yonex Power Cushion 65 (X3, X2, X2L etc.) Badminton Shoes